Stuck in an awkward situation? There’s an app for that

How many times have you been stuck on a lengthy commute with a colleague you barely know, or been cornered by an overly affectionate acquaintance, and offered up a silent prayer to the gods of awkward situations to create a distraction to get you out of there?

Well now there’s an app for that.

The apparently real Tickle – we hope it is real – app, which is still in private beta testing, uses the iPhone’s accelerometer (which tracks movements like being tilted) to ‘rescue’ you from such unfortunate occurrences.

By ‘tickling’ your phone you can generate a phantom call that you can use to make your excuses and a swift getaway.

‘The idea of using a phone call to get out of a situation is nothing new, but with Tickle you have a subtle way to trigger one instantly,’ a promo video says.